Mohave County miner., 1887-06-04

haFsf-p0e "sy /" SobntnH POtnt.
Three Hundred Thousand People Leave
Their Homes.
Az sitting In dharna" IA an extremely curl.
Gus practice, the readers Of this journal may
like To know something about H. The Braii-
mans have aowhcrc shown q more remark
able example of their cunning than In Great
ing among their countryn8eu a belief that
their persons were designed by God % be
under all circumstances inviolabIe; aud that
% deprive them Of life or TO hurt their per-
sons, directly or indirectly, Is a crime that
adsaits of no cxpiation. On this persuasion
" founded the practice Of sitting la dharna.
When Brahnaai, desires to gain SONS point
which he hs- tpani !. impoxabie 10 accom-
piiSh In any Other way he goes TO the door or
house oftise perzon ngainst whom bis s,Iit is
directed, and there no sits down Ia dharr,a,
VII. poison, or a l,oniard or some other means
Ut suicide In his hand, threatening to usc IL
should his adversary attempt to nIoIest or
pass him by. This menace completely arrests
aim. The plaintiff now commences fast, In
which, eccoTdinS IT, etiquette, be must be &c
Dsnlaf!iod by the defendant; and In this stu.
.tsogl tissy both remain until the former OBJ
talna satisfaction The plaintiff rarely fails
u MS Db1ect; for were the individual thus ar
easesl to permit the Drahnan to perish Of
.uaGrP, or gi,onld he drive him 10 make use
i any 0t his instruments of mischief, the sin
'5uld lte upon his head forever.
4 BaAHMAs WIDOW
Nor Is the practice confined 10 male RrAh~
HAS. Some years agDa o Brabman widow at
-.aiIares bad lawsuit with her brother-in-
~, which, la the first instance, went 10 ar
r.t?asiOn The suit involved claim Of prop
~ aid consideration Of caste, the pTivi-
- ~ which her Antagonist declared she
aA forfeited. The derisfon; though favor
BE To her, did not altogether satisfy the
H!y, who determined 30 carry tho remaining
s0!uts in dispute by dharTia Accordingly
~ Placed herself In the customary way at
-aS door of her brother-in- law, who, appre-
Igllsiyc of her death, went with her 10 a
sIaylc, where they both made trial Of their
n"e!y of abstineBce for sofnc time longer
i'hiTteefI days had elapscd when tho defendant
sgYe Ia. lie agYHed that IL tho widow could
gstab!iaa the validity Of her claims 10 caste
1y prevailing On some respectable Brahnians
20 eat dinner With hcr at her own cost be
wouM no. only pay all the expenses Of the
feast but her debts also. The conditions were
w. PS'N 'sss tI5s DENiBfJ
law refused 10 perform tho last part of the
cEIgageTneat, which brought tbs uaatter under
Official notice
Here is an older and more striking ex-
a'upc. Government having imposed a house
tax at Benarss, the people, startled by the
innovation, began To complain that they
never heard Of such tax under the moguls;
that their houses were their own: that the
British rulers faiyht next lay tax on their
wives ami children. Representations were
made 10 government at Calcutta, but In
vain. Upon this the whole population of
tho cfty nBd It's ueighborisood determined TO
50 10 dharna ua'il their grievances saould bs
rctrpSsod. Some Of the leading Brahnans
sent written handbiIls 10 the wards in Ben
ares, and TO some of the adjoining villages,
briefly setting forth the proYocation and the
necessity Of the measures they were about 10
adopt They called on oil lovers Of their
country and religion TO join In the move
mont, and commanded, under bitter curses,
every person who received the summons 10
hand 10 70 his next neighbor. Three days
afterward about 900 persons left their
houses, shut up their shops, suspended their
farm work, foreborc 10 light fires or dress
yictuals, and many Of them even 70 eat, and
rat down with folded arms and dropping
beads On the plain surrounding Benares
ENDING A DISTURBANCE
a~ The local governmeut was much perplexed
There was the chance tha. sOsne of those
strange people might really perish, either from
their obs,iiiacy or from disease, while distress
might eirsis from the interruption Of agricul-
tcral labor at the most critical time Of the
year. On the other hand, II was not expedi
ent 10 yield 10 such o demand 80 urged, SO
they told the ringleaders, after some ineffec~
tual reasoning, that Ii they chose to sit In
dkarna II was their own affair; that the gov
ernIneut would never yield TO reJnonstranna,
~ enforced, and that, 50 long as they only la.
jTcd Themselves and were peaceful Ia their
behavior TO others, the government wouh not
melldle with them At the same time, bow
ever, r strong body Of troops was PLACED In
the neighborhood, out of view Soon the fnul-
titudc began % grow very hungry, and q
shower made them wet, cold and un-
Some Of the party proposed q
change Of operatiCns--that a deputation of
1900 should he sent 10 address the governor
general Mt Calcutta personally. A minority,
thoroughly tired Of their situation, roae to 90
home, but the remainder determined that all
skDuhl 20 VI Tue SOFeTbDT EGItI3l. every NAN
al his own charge. 10 about 5000 Brahmars
assembled with such provisions as they could
collect, and began their march. But Olsen
sio1s spread fast among them, and hunger
and fatigue told even on the most obstinate
In few days they melted away to 50 small
number that the remainder were ashamed 20
proceed Then the supreme government wire
ly repealed the obnoxious tax; and thus ended
. disturbance which, II IL had been harshIy or
managed, might have set all
India in fame.
Nowadays the practice Of sitting In dharna
b mostly confined 10 the faqueers. These pious
beg2ars are remarkably obstinate, and will
not move from the door Of a person until
their demands are complied with, threatening
Iiicide or self-tOrture. / remember well a
Hnmbtr Of faqueers who, a few years ago,
at round huge FIRE which they Hghtel at
he door Of house In which a grand funeral
ras being celebrated, threatening 10 put their
lrfns into the flames If the present they de
handed was denied ~ them. Some of them
I'd utua.jy burn tie oads Of their fingers. !
it last The master Of the house gave them tae
money and 20. nd Of them. -Hindoo Cor. 1t.
,aine3 Gazette.
Paraiytic's Alphabet.
a ci;i1rn Of Norwich, Conn, who recently .
lied, had been 50 paralyDcd for twelve years .